Fangirling 101
by TheLightBehindHerEyes
Summary: Meet Charlene Rosen, adopted sister to Becky Rosen, although they're nothing alike. Carly would rather do anything than fangirl over Supernatural, even though that's all her sister wants from her. However, how will Carly react to meeting the Winchesters herself? How will she handle knowing that monsters exist? Starts in season 5.
1. Chapter 1

_What am I doing with my life._ Those seven words keep repeating in Charlene Rosen's head as she allows her sister - Becky Rosen - to drag her to where 'Sam and Dean Winchester' are apparently staying, just so they can 'deliver a prophecy' to them.

 _Sam and Dean Winchester._ The main protagonists in the book series that Becky is _obsessed_ with. Carly internally rolls her eyes as she remembers the million times Becky tried to force her into reading the books.

Her hazel eyes turn to look at her sister as she asks for the umpteenth time

"And you're _sure_ that this isn't just some elaborate scam to, I don't know, harvest our kidneys or something?" She asks, a mocking tone hidden in her words. Becky sighs, never taking her eyes off the road as she pulls into the motel parking lot.

"Mr. Edlund- _Chuck_ said that they're real, and I believe in him." Shutting off the car, Becky turns towards Carly, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "You know who else I believe in? Sam Winchester!"

Charlene lets out a deep sigh as she gets out of the car, jogging to catch up to her sister who somehow already made it to the front doors. _It's like she becomes The Flash when she's excited._

* * *

Carly hears Becky muttering the room number repeatedly under her breath as they walk down the hallway, and she nearly runs into her when Becky suddenly stops in front of one of the doors.

 _Knock knock knock._ She wraps her knuckles on the door, the harsh sound causing Carly to cringe.

Shuffling feet are heard from the other side of the door, and both girls hold their breath as the door slowly opens, and a man with long brown hair sticks his head out.

Becky lets out a loud gasp/squeal, and his eyebrows furrow together.

"Are you okay, lady?"

Becky's eyes grow ten sizes. "Sam?" She asks reverently. "Is it really you?"

Before Carly can get a word in to explain who they are and why they're there, Becky reaches out a hand and places it on Sam's chest.

"And you're so firm."

A small 'what the-' escapes Carly's lips, causing Sam to look over at her for the first time, a questioning look on his face.

"Woah-woah, hey, Becky-" Charlene says, her face flushing in embarrassment as she grabs Becky's arm and pulls it away from Sam.

"Do I know you?" Sam asks, baffled, looking between Charlene and Becky.

"No, but I know you. You're Sam Winchester. And you're-" Becky glances into the room at Dean, her smile turning down a bit. "-not what I pictured." She looks back to Sam. "I'm Becky, and this is my sister Charlene."

Without warning, Becky pushes her way into the room, her smile growing bigger by the second.

Sam gives Carly a 'what the hell' look, and she mouths 'sorry' to him as he moves out of the way to let her in.

Becky turns back to Sam, and excitedly says "I've read all about you guys. I've even written a few-" She stops, letting out a giggle. Charlene takes that small gap of time in her rant to interrupt and get to the point.

"Erm- anyway, Mr. Edlund sent us."

As Sam closes the door, Dean stands up from the bed. "Chuck?"

Charlene nods, about to continue speaking, but a sharp elbow to her side prevents her from it. She shoots a glare at her sister as Becky starts talking.

"He's got a message, but he's being watched. Angels-" she says, her voice becoming even higher with excitement. "-Nice change-up to the mythology by the way. The demon stuff was getting kind of old." Carly rolls her eyes.

"Um, right. Just what's the message?" Sam asks, starting to get impatient.

Becky closes her eyes as she recites the message from memory.

"He had a vision. 'The Michael sword is on Earth. The Angels lost it.' "

"The Michael sword?" Dean asks skeptically.

"Do you know where it is?"

"In a castle, on a hill made of forty-two dogs." Carly's eyebrows knit together as Becky tells them this, since this is her first time hearing this part of the message too.

"Uh, forty-two dogs? Are you sure-"

"I'm sure!" Becky interrupted her sister, sending her a scalding glare, before turning back to Sam.

"It doesn't make sense, but that's what he said." She stepped closer to Sam. "I memorized every word." She placed her hand on Sam's chest again. "For you."

Charlene felt her cheeks light up again in embarrassment as she does this. Sam looks towards her pleadingly as he says "Uh, Becky. C-uh... can you- quit touching me?"

"No," Becky replies, causing Charlene to roll her eyes and tug her hand away from Sam yet again.

Not even caring if Becky hears her this time, Carly says to Sam "I'm really sorry about all of this."  
Becky sends her a withering glare, before Dean begins to herd them towards the door.

"Look, this has truly been an amazing experience, but we have the devil to hunt down, so we don't really have time for all this, 'kay?" Charlene notices Becky opening her mouth to say something, so she elbows her in the side to keep her silent.

"I get it. Uh- anyway, thanks for your time," she says, forcing a smile even as Becky glares daggers at her. She sends another apologetic glance at Sam before practically dragging Becky out of the room.

As the door slams shut behind them, Becky continues to glare at Charlene.

"What the heck was that?!" Carly whispers harshly, her hazel eyes piercing into her sisters.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Becky states as she folds her arms and breaks eye contact.

"I mean all of the 'Sam' crap. You can't just walk up to someone and start _groping_ them for gods sake!"

"But I know him!" Becky retorts as she begins to march down the hall.

"No, you don't! You know a fictional character who's probably nothing like him! Besides, he doesn't know you! How would you feel is someone just walked up to you and started touching your chest?!"

That keeps Becky silent, and Charlene feels a smug smile creeping onto her face.

 _I don't think I've ever managed to shut my sister up before,_ Carly thinks. She glances over at her silent sister as she slides into the passenger seat.

Closing the door, they pull out of the motel parking lot, quickly leaving in in their rear-view mirror. As the smug feeling from managing to make Becky shut up fades away, Charlene feels her world start to crumble, piece by piece, from all the new information.

 _Sam and Dean Winchester are real. Angels and Demons are real. Every single monster I can think of is real... and if that isn't bad enough. . . The devil is really on the loose._

Being burdened with all this knowledge and yet being unable to do anything about it feels awful. Carly's hazel eyes close in defeat as she realizes what - to her - is the worst thing of all.

 _The world is going to end, and there is_ _nothing_ _I can do to stop it._

A tear makes an invisible trail down her cheek, and a sigh escapes her lips as she's slowly pulled into the realm of sleep from exhaustion. As her last clear thought before she's completely under, she thinks:

 _There's nothing I can do... I guess it's just like every other day, than._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey guys. I'm aware of the fact that I suck at endings (and at summaries, and titles), but please be nice if you leave a review. This is only my third published fanfic, so I'm still pretty self-conscious about how people view them. Anyway, thanks for reading this, and I'll try to update as soon as I can. :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

A little over two months later, Charlene once again finds herself being dragged into another Supernatural-related something-or-other by Becky, and this time it's also because of Chuck.

This time, it's a Supernatural Convention, and in fact, it's the very first of it's kind.

 _I wonder why,_ Charlene thinks as she watches a couple people mull around in the lobby of the hotel it's hosted in. It's been forty minutes since they opened the doors, and only six people (including her, Becky and Chuck) have arrived.

 _This is kind of pitiful, honestly,_ she muses, tapping her fingers on the side of her Coke can. Knowing Becky, she's going to have to stay here all day, probably pretty far into the night too. A grimace begins to form on her face as she think about how she'll be stuck here, instead of staying at home and trying to forget about the impending end of the world.

Charlene raises an eyebrow as she watches Becky slip Chuck's phone out of his pocket and begin to text someone. _Oh great._ Her grimace grows bigger as she watches Becky's eyes light up in an all-too-familiar way.

 _She only gets that look when she's thinking about the Winchesters . . . this can't be good._

Carly begins to stand up from her position at the bar, when a cosplayer sits down next to her.

"Who're you dressed as?" He asks, his voice muffled slightly by the scarecrow mask covering it.

Charlene turns to look at him, her eyes moving up and down his costume, then she looks at her own clothes. All she's wearing is a light-blue tank top underneath a grey hoodie, with blue skinny jeans and black converse. The only accessory she has on is a small white crystal hanging from a chain on her neck; her favorite necklace. Not the most fashionable outfit, but then again, she wasn't expecting to leave her house when she put it on.

Carly looks up at the scarecrow with a fake smile on her face. "I'm not dressed as anyone, sweetheart, because I don't like the books." She hears a small huff from the other side of the mask, then he asks

"Then why're you here if you don't like 'em?" Charlene rolls her eyes.  
"Good question," she mutters as she turns away from him.

She stands up from the bar, leaving her untouched Coke there as she walks over to where Becky is, looking at the 'Supernatural' merchandise.  
"So, Becky." Her sister jumps at the sound of her name, and she tears her eyes away from the mug with the Impala on it as Carly speaks to her.

"Who were you texting on Chuck's phone?" She asks, a sly smile creeping onto her face. Becky breaks out into a grin, and she says reverently

"Sam Winchester. _The_ Sam Winchester!" Carly rolls her eyes.

 _I freaking knew it._

"And what exactly did you text him about?"

Becky lets out a small shriek of excitement, before saying in a high voice

"You'll find out!"

Charlene groans inwardly as she turns away from Becky and makes her way back over to the bar. The scarecrow is nowhere to be seen, and she sighs.

 _He was kind of annoying . . . but at least I had someone to talk to who wasn't_ _totally_ _insane._

Sitting back down at the bar, she picks up her Coke and takes a sip. She grimaces slightly as the lukewarm liquid runs down her throat, and she places the can back down.

 _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

A few hours later, many more people are mulling around in the lobby when Carly hears two car doors slam outside. Familiar voices fill the air, and it takes her a second to realize what's going on.

Becky grabs her wrist and tugs her outside, nearly tripping down the front steps in excitement.

"Sam!" She shrieks, running up to them while dragging Carly behind her.

"You made it!" Carly's wrist is released, and she shakes it to get the blood moving through it again.

"Oh, uh, Becky- right?" Sam asks, glancing at Charlene as Becky embraces him in a tight hug.

"Oh, you remembered!" She says as she pulls away, then suddenly becomes serious and adds "You've been thinking about me."

Carly exchanges a glance with Sam.

"I, uh-"

"It's okay!" Becky interrupts. "I couldn't get you out of my head either." Carly gives her a pointed look, and Becky returns it with a glare.

"Becky, did you take my phone?" Chuck asks, turning towards her.

"I just borrowed it from your pants."

"Becky-"

"What?" Becky snaps. She glances at the Winchesters, excitement clouding her features. "They're going to want to see it!"

Sam and Dean exchange a look, before saying in unison "See what?"

Becky lets out another inhuman-shriek, causing both Carly and Dean to cringe.

"Oh my god!" She turns to Charlene, who gives her a worried look. "I love it when they talk at the same time."

 _You're kidding me._ She can practically hear the words Sam's trying to convey through a single look at her, and she shrugs.

 _Sorry, no._

Their small 'conversation' is cut off by a voice saying "Hey, Chuck!"

They all peer up at a man standing on the front steps of the hotel. "Come on pal, it's showtime."

"Oh no," Carly mutters under her breath, not catching the questioning look Sam gives her before Becky latches back on to her wrist and tugs her up the stairs.

As her last act before she's pulled back into the hotel, she casts a glance over her shoulder at Sam, the message clear as day: _Help me._

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading this, and once again if you're going to review, please be nice. Like I said before, I'm still pretty wary of how people view my stories. Anyway, thanks again!_**


	3. Chapter 3

As Carly's hauled into the hotel, she hears Sam and Dean quickly catching up behind her, although their footsteps soon stop when a voice says to them "Hey Dean! Looking good!"

Becky turns around, and Carly gets a full view of the man speaking to them. He's dressed much like Dean, with - what she's heard Becky call - the 'Samulet' and all. She has to hold back a snort at the confusion on Dean's face as he says

"Who the hell are you?" The man turns back around, gesturing towards his costume as he says

"I'm Dean too," he takes a drink from his beer before adding, "Duh."

Sam and Dean share a perplexed glance at each other, until Sam notices something over Carly's shoulder. She turns slightly, and her hazel eyes land on the scarecrow man who spoke to her at the bar earlier.

"Uh-oh, it's Sam and Dean," he commented as he walked past the Winchesters. They continue to gawk at him as he pauses to look at them.

 _You gotta admit, the costume is rather good - for a cosplay, that is._ For the first time, Charlene notices that he even has a scythe in one hand, and out of the corner of her eye she sees Dean watching the scythe warily.

"I'm in big trouble now." He jabs them with the fake scythe, causing Dean to jump back and Sam to stare at him in alarm.

"Have fun you two," he says, before waving the scythe in Sam's face and walking away.

Becky's crazed giggles cause the whole group to look at her, and Dean says "What?"

Her response is only to giggle more, and Carly stares at her. _How is she always so happy-go-lucky?_

Becky peers around the room, and the Winchesters follow her gaze, noticing for the first time how everyone is dressed as either a monster that they've faced, or as Sam and Dean.

"Well that's not creepy at all," Carly mutters to herself, realizing just how much more so it must be for Sam and Dean.

"Becky, what is this place?" Sam asks, now looking kind of concerned as he peers around the room once more before turning to Becky.

Her eyes light up as she gazes up at Sam, saying "It's awesome! The Supernatural Convention . . . the first one ever!"

Carly's attention is caught by a large amount of people heading into the auditorium, and a shrill squeak from Becky tells her that she sees it too.

"It's starting!"

Sam and Dean look perplexed, and say together "What's starting?"

Instead of answering their question, Becky grabs back on to Carly's soon-to-be-bruised wrist, pulling her behind her as she replies over her shoulder "Come on!"

Sam and Dean have no choice but to follow.

* * *

Inside the auditorium there are rows of chairs, all facing a platform that's set up at the end. Hanging on blue curtains, there's a large, upside-down pentagram with the word 'Supernatural' sprawled across it in orange. All of the chairs in the audience are filled, so Charlene, Becky, Sam and Dean have to stand in the back.

 _Not like I have a problem with standing back here,_ Carly thinks, rather pleased that they're pretty close to the exit.

The crowd is abuzz with cosplayers talking to each other about the books, costumes, everything really. Carly rolls her eyes at how many people are fans of the books. It's not like she doesn't like the books, but they're just . . . not all that well-written, in her opinion. Of course, she would never say that to her sister, but she really can't see how so many people are so devoted to this book series that they would waste an entire day to come out and stay at this crummy convention.

 _I'll never understand some people._

Charlene glances at the Winchesters, and by the looks on their faces, they're thinking the same thing.

The audience begins to quiet down as the hotel manager steps up to the stage, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Welcome to the first annual Supernatural Convention. At 3:45 in the Magnolia room we have the panel, ' _Frightened Little Boy, The Secret Life of Dean.'_ At 4:30 there's the _'Homoerotic Subtext of Supernatural._ ' "

Dean raises his eyebrows as Sam's eyes narrow, and Carly gawks slightly at the manager before mumbling "Please, tell us what you really think."

Sam's light snort of laughter doesn't go unnoticed, and she shoots him a small smile before turning her attention back to the front as the hotel manager continues.

"Oh, and of course, the big hunt starts at 7pm sharp." The audience explodes in cheers and applause, and Carly groans, causing Sam to turn to her.

"What?"

"Not much, just the fact that I've been here for most of the day and now I'm going to be here for most of the night too." She turns towards Sam, leaning against the wall. "I mean- I'm not trying to be rude, but I don't really see how people can be such big fans of this stuff." Sam nods.

"Me neither."

Their attention is brought back up to the front by the sound of the hotel manager clearing his throat.

"But right now," he adds as the applause comes to a rest. "Right now . . . I'd like to introduce the man himself. The creator, the writer of the Supernatural books . . . The one, the only, Carver Edlund!"

Once again, the audience erupts in applause, and Carly hides a grimace at how excited these people are to be here.

Chuck timidly walks onstage, peering through the crowd, his eyes lingering momentarily on the four of them.

The microphone hisses as he grabs for it, causing most of the people in the auditorium to cover their ears in pain. Chuck laughs nervously as he manages to pick up the microphone.

"Ok. Ok good. This isn't nearly as awkward as I . . ." He clears his throat, laughing timidly again. "Dry mouth." He catches the water bottle someone tosses to him from backstage, and he takes long gulps from it.

Carly fidgets, the awkward tension in the air making her uncomfortable.

"Ok," Chuck says as he finishes drinking. "Um, so I guess . . . questions?"

Every hand in the auditorium shoots up, and once again, Carly hides a grimace.

"Uh . . . you?" Chuck points to somewhere in the audience, and skinny man in a long black wig stands up from his chair.

"Hey, Mr. Edlund. Big fan. I was just wondering . . . where'd you come up with Sam and Dean in the first place?" Chuck glances nervously back at the Winchesters, before saying

"Oh, ah . . . it just . . . came to me."

Practically everyone's hand shoots up once more, and Chuck points to someone in the third row.

"Oh, yeah . . . the hook man."

"Ah, yah," the hook man cosplayer begins, a heavy German accent coating his words. "Why is every fight scene, Sam and Dean are having their gun knocked away by bad guy? Why don't they keep it on a bungee or something?" Carly glances towards the Winchesters, noticing that Sam seems to be considering while Dean simply looks annoyed.

"I . . ." Chuck pauses and clears his throat again, before saying "Yeah, I don't really know."

"Ja," the hook man says, "Follow up. Why can't Sam and Dean tell Ruby's evil? I mean, she is obviously manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious, nein?"

Now it's Sam's turn to look pissed, while Dean looks thoughful. Carly's eyebrows scrunch together.

 _I don't know who this 'Ruby' chick is, but it's pretty clear that Sam and Dean don't like her._ She mentally reminds herself to ask them about that later if they have time.

Carly's shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of her sister saying "Hey!"

Her eyes follow her sister as she stomps down the isle towards the hook man, who looks more than a little startled at the venom in her voice.

"If you don't like the books, don't read 'em, Fritz!" Even Carly is kind of shocked by how hostile her words sound.

"Okay, okay!" Chuck says, trying to intervene before things get any worse. Becky stops, glaring at Chuck as he says "It's okay . . . just, okay. Uh. . . any other questions?"

Just as many hands as before shoot up into the air, and he points to someone in the front.

"Yeah, at the end of the last book, Dean goes to hell. So . . . what happens next?"

"Oh, well . . . there lies an announcement, actually," Chuck says, glancing at Sam and Dean, who're eyeing him suspiciously. "You're all going to find out."

The Winchesters continue eyeing Chuck as he adds "Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're going to start publishing again."

A massive amount of cheers, applause and screaming reaches Charlene's ears, and she winces from how loud it is. Becky jumps up and down, screaming the whole time, and Carly winces again before her face flushes red in embarrassment.

Looking at the Winchesters, she can from their clenched fists and heavy breathing that they're most definitely _not_ happy about that announcement, much unlike her sister, who's still screeching at the top of her lungs while jumping up and down. Carly runs a hand through her hair while groaning as she walks out of the auditorium and makes her way over to the bar.

 _This is going to be a_ _very_ _long night._


	4. Chapter 4

Carly sits down at the bar, picking back up her Coke, and attempts to tune out the unending-barrage of voices.

 _Why did I let Becky talk me into coming here,_ she questions as the voices of the cosplayers only seem to grow louder and more excited by the second. Her fingers tap the edges of her Coke can as her annoyance grows, and it doesn't help that at least five cosplayers have already asked her who she's dressed as since she left the auditorium.

Her hazel eyes are trained on her sister, sitting several seats away from her. Chuck sits next to her, attempting a conversation.

"I got you a yellow-eyes cooler," he says as he places a drink in front of her. She smiles at him.

"Thanks Chuck."

"Sure," Chuck clears his throat for what must be the millionth time today. "Ahem . . . so, Becky, I was wondering . . . Are you doing any-"

"Oh, hi Sam!" Becky interrupts Chuck, smiling widely at Sam, who's followed by Dean as they walk towards Chuck. Chuck looks away, a deep sigh leaving his lips at the same time Carly rolls her eyes at how clueless her sister is.

"Excuse us," Dean says, plastering on a fake smile for Becky before turning to Chuck. "In case you hadn't noticed, our plates are kind full, okay? Finding the Colt, hunting the devil . . . We don't have time for this crap."

"Hey, I didn't call you!" Chuck retorts.

"He means the books, Chuck," Sam says, turning away from Becky.

Carly notices Becky attempting to blow Sam kisses, sending him some 'come hither' looks. Her face contorts in a grimace as she notices Becky lick her hand, then blow on it as though she's blowing him a kiss. Charlene ponders whether or not she should go over and interfere with her sister, but as she notices the Winchester's and Chuck's conversation become heated, she scraps the idea.

 _No way am I getting involved in that._

As Carly tunes back into their conversation - well, more like an argument by now, really - she sees Dean lean towards Chuck.

"Who gave you the rights to our life story?"

Chuck shrinks back in his chair as he responds with "An archangel, and I didn't want them!"

Sam clenches his jaw before saying "Well deal's off," Dean straightens as Sam adds "No more books. Our lives are not for," he glances at Becky, " . . . public consumption." He continues to peer at Becky with a pointed look in his eye until Chuck finally catches on, and after clearing his throat, Chuck says

"Ah . . . Becky, would you excuse us for just a second?"

Becky gives him an energetic nod. "Uh-huh!"

She quickly stands up from her chair and moves over to Charlene, who, upon noticing her sisters arrival, prepares herself for yet _another_ conversation about the Supernatural books.

 _Seriously, how much is there to talk about?_ She questions as Becky sits down next to her.

Carly remains silent, waiting for the imminent barrage of questions, but when it doesn't come, she looks towards Becky, an unspoken question in her eyes, only to notice her sister staring at her with a knowing look.

"What?"

Becky breaks out into a grin. "You know what!" This only makes Carly more confused.  
"Uh- actually, I don't think I do." Becky rolls her eyes.

"Which one?" Carly tilts her head, much like a confused puppy would, causing her long auburn locks of hair to fall over her shoulders.

"I don't follow." Becky gives her another eye roll, before saying with a _'duh'_ tone in her voice

"Sam or Dean?" Carly's eyes slowly widen as she realizes what her sister's getting at, and her mouth opens and shuts like a fish.

"Well- I, uh-"

"Well you can't have Sam because he's mine, so . . . I guess that was just a stupid question, wasn't it?" Becky interrupts, saving Carly from having to answer the question, and she lets out a small sigh of relief.

 _That could've gone south._

Becky glances towards Chuck, and upon noticing that the Winchesters are no longer over there, she lets out a small squeal and leaves Carly alone at the bar.

 _At least I'm alone, I guess_ \- her thought is cut off by the sound of someone sitting down to her right, and she internally rolls her eyes, preparing herself for another round of 'who're you dressed as.'

What she's not prepared for is hearing Sam's voice.  
"So, uh- you're Becky's sister?" She freezes slightly, not expecting him to be there, but she quickly turns around and smiles at Sam.

"Well- her adopted sister, but . . . yeah, although we don't have much in common." Sam seems slightly relieved when she says that, although he looks curious when she says 'adopted.'

"You're adopted?" He asks, and she nods.

"Yeah. I never even knew my parents." Charlene glances over at Becky. "I think I was three when Becky's parents adopted me." Her hazel eyes glaze over momentarily as she recalls the unimaginable happiness she felt, when she found out she was being adopted. Even as three-year-old, she knew that her life would never be the same. "We're a small, sometimes-dysfunctional little family, but . . . it's all I've ever had."

"Oh." Neither of them speak after that, until Sam clears his throat in an attempt to lift the silence.

"Have you, erm- read the books?" Carly shakes her head, but then seems to think for a moment.

"Becky forced me to read the first one." She smiles slightly as she remembers the huge fit Becky threw when she told her she didn't want to read the rest of the series.

"She was so pissed when I didn't read the others." Carly smiles up at Sam. "I'm talking full on bitch-fit, throwing things across the room and all. She didn't talk to me for days after that." Sam chuckles, and her smile grows wider . . . or at least, it does until she hears her sisters say

"Ooh, the LARPing's started!" Carly rolls her eyes at the excitement in her sister's voice, and Sam turns around to face Becky. Dean stands beside her, his eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"The . . . what?"  
"Live Action Role Playing?" Sam stands up from the bar, as does Carly, and they walk over to Becky. Dean continues to stare at her as if she just sprouted another head.

Becky lets out a sigh before she adds "It's a game. The convention puts it on." Becky digs around in her pockets before pulling out a rumpled piece of paper, and she hands it to Sam.

Carly knows that there's no way she'll be able to read over Sam's shoulder - what with her being only 5'6" and all - so she simply listens as Dean reads it out loud.

" _Dad's journal. Dear Sam and Dean, this hotel is haunted. You must hunt down the ghost. Interview witnesses, discover clues, and find the bones. First team to do so wins a $50 gift card to Sizzler. Love, Dad._ "

There's a slight pause as Dean finishes reading it, but Becky quickly ends the moment. Carly can practically _hear_ the beaming smile on her face as Becky says

"You guys are _soooo_ gonna win."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Just like I said before, thank you guys for reading this! I really appreciate the fact that you're willing to take your time to read my story!**_

 _ **Also, I would like to point out that as we get further along in the story, some chapters may not be based off of actual episodes, just in case you're wondering why none of it may be familiar.**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

Carly absentmindedly toys with the crystal on her necklace, watching as it transforms the light from the bar into tiny rainbows, which scatter all over her outfit.

She fiddles with the jewel, turning it this way and that, peering at the nearly-microscopic cracks frozen inside of it. Carly remains transfixed with the crystal until she hears Sam clear his throat, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin in surprise.

Her head jerks up and she stares at Sam with wild eyes. He attempts to muffle his laughter behind his hand, although he does so rather poorly, causing Carly to end up chuckling too.

"Sorry," she says, "I was zoning out." Sam gets over his laughing fit and says

"I saw that." A smile makes it's way across her face, and she lets the necklace drop from her hand to her chest. Silence follows for a moment (as it always seems to in their conversations), until Sam says

"So, uh- where'd you get you necklace?" He asks, trying to start a conversation.

Charlene glances down at it, picking it back up again.

"I don't know. I think my mom - my _real_ mom - gave it to me before they put me up for adoption, but honestly I don't know." She shifts the crystal in her hand. "I've just had it all my life."

Sam eyes the gem for a moment before asking "What type of crystal is that?"

Charlene begins to shrug, but pauses, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Correct me if I'm wrong - which I probably am, considering that I know practically nothing about gemstones of any kind, but I think it's just quartz. Pure quartz, I guess." She glances up at Sam, who's still looking at it strangely.

"Can I- is it okay if I see that for a second?" He asks, and although his request sparks curiosity and a little bit of suspicion in Carly, she nods anyway and reaches behind her head, undoing the clasp and handing the necklace to Sam.

The instant the necklace loses contact with her skin, she feels a weight she wasn't even aware of come off her shoulders, but she simply brushes it off, thinking only _I didn't think the crystal was_ _ **that**_ _heavy._

Charlene watches as Sam looks closely at the crystal for a moment, before he says

"Did you- have you ever noticed that there are tiny beads of moonstone on here?" He asks, looking up at her. Carly shrugs.

"Honestly, no, which is really ridiculous since I've worn that thing practically my whole life." Sam nods, although his eyebrows scrunch together just a tad.

"What is it?" Carly asks before she can stop herself. She mentally smacks herself, although Sam doesn't seem to notice her embarrassment.

"What?" She knows she can't put the words back in her mouth, so Carly adds on.

"Well, you looked a little curious - if not the tiniest bit suspicious - when I said that. I'm just wondering . . . what's so special about the necklace?"

Sam pauses for a moment, seeming to have an internal battle on whether to answer her or not, before he sighs, giving in.

"Carly, these stones, they-"  
"For the last time, I'm not making this up okay?!" The sound of two cosplayers arguing interrupts Sam's sentence, and they both look over.

"She's upstairs, a real _live_ dead ghost!" Sam seems to hesitate to finish his sentence, but when he notices Dean walking towards the cosplayers, he hurriedly - if not a tad bit reluctantly - hands Carly the necklace, a small 'sorry' being the only thing he says before walking away.  
Carly tucks the necklace in her pocket, turning in her chair to face the scene unfolding in the lobby.

"I'm sure it was just one of the ghost actors," the Dean-cosplayer says, attempting to reassure his partner. His voice is quieter than his partners', and he glances around the room, seemingly embarrassed by the other man's behavior.

"Who beat the hell outta me and then vanished?" The Sam-cosplayer retorted. Sam and Dean walk over to them.

"You saw something?" Real-Sam asks. The Sam-cosplayer glares at him.

"This isn't a part of the game, jerk." Sam looks slightly offended by his rude answer, but he quickly shakes it off. Before he can say anything else, Fake-Sam turns back to Fake-Dean and says

"Look, I'm getting out of here and you should do the same." Before Fake-Dean can react, Fake-Sam stomps off towards the doors.

"Wait! Alex! Come back!" Fake-Dean yells after him, running to catch up to his friend. Carly looks towards the Winchesters, who seem to be processing the situation.

"What do you think," Sam says as he turns towards Dean.

"I don't think that guy's a good enough actor to be acting." Carly snorts quietly at his comment, but apparently Dean hears it anyway because he turns and winks playfully at her, resulting in an eye roll.

"OHMYGOD CARLY!" Carly hears Becky calling to her from halfway across the room, and an annoyed groan escapes her lips.

 _S_ tanding up from her bar-stool, she sends a pleading glance towards Sam before turning and saying

"Coming!"

 _Here we go again._

* * *

"Hey, Becky? I'm gonna leave for a sec, okay?" Becky's head whips up from the 'Supernatural' book she'd been reading to Carly, and she says

"Where're you going?" Carly rolls her eyes.  
"To slay a dragon- where do you think? I'm going to the bathroom," she says playfully (although with an annoyed tone hidden underneath).

Becky narrows her eyes. "If you're going to go flirt with Sam-" Carly's eyes widen at the accusation.

"I- I'd never flirt with Sam!" Becky's eyes continue to narrow, until Carly holds her hands up in surrender, a defeated sigh leaving her lips.

"I'm gonna go."

* * *

Charlene groans as she attempts to make her way through the maze of hallways.

"How did it never cross my mind to actually _ask_ where the bathrooms are?"

She doesn't actually need to go to the bathroom - she only said that to get away from Becky - but she begins to wish that she could at least know her way around the place.

 _Maybe then I wouldn't be wandering around here for ten minutes!_

She turns another corner, sighing when she sees that it doesn't lead to the lobby. She turns around again and goes further down the hallway.

 _Great, lost in a possibly-haunted hotel. Just my luck._

Another annoyed groan escapes her lips, and she lets out a defeated sigh as she turns another corner, going deeper into the maze . . . but her eyes widen when she notices that her breath comes out in a cloud, as though it were freezing; which, she admits, it _is_ freezing, but she's just been so caught up in finding her way back to the lobby she hasn't noticed until now . . . and now it's probably too late.

A woman - possibly Leticia Gore, the woman from the LARPing event - suddenly appears in front of her.

"Listen to me, I need your help," the ghost starts. Charlene takes small steps backwards, and the ghost woman raises her hands in surrender.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just need your help!" The pleading note in the ghost's voice causes Carly to stop for a minute, and when she speaks she says

"Wh-what would you have me do?"

"Someone is going to burn my bones. You need to stop them! I'm the only one keeping those boys in line!" The ghost begins to raise her voice, and Carly takes another step backwards in fear.

"But I thought . . . I thought _you_ killed them. Why would you-"

"You think _I_ killed them?! You think _I_ scalped my son?! My own son?!" Leticia screeches, and Carly's eyes widen.

"Oh sh*t," she whispers, backing away further.

" _THEY_ SCALPED MY SON!" She screams. "THEY KILLED HIM, AND I WAS BLAMED FOR IT."

The woman advances on her, flicking her wrist to cast Carly into the wall . . . but nothing happens. Both women's eyebrows furrow together, and she flicks her wrist again.

Still, nothing. The ghost looks at her with fear of her own in her eyes.

 _"What are you?"_ Carly shakes her head, stuttering out

"I- human? I think?" _What type of a question is that?_

"You're **lying** ," the ghost hisses at her. **"YOU'RE LYING!"** Carly turns away from the enraged specter and sprints down the hallway, turning a corner into what appears to be a living room.

 _What did Becky tell me about ghosts . . ._ _ **IRON.**_ _They hate iron!_ Her hazel eyes search the room, coming to rest on a poker by the fireplace. The ghost notices where her eyes are, and Carly begins to sprint towards the poker, only to be cut off by the ghost suddenly appearing in her path.

Carly slowly steps back, her eyes darting around the room like a caged animal's. Her back hits the wall, and she realizes just how screwed she is.

 _Oh my god, I'm gonna die._ She glances past Leticia, the poker once again catching her eye.

 _If only I could reach it._ As if on cue, the poker flings itself out of it's holder, through Leticia and into Carly's hand. She gawks.

"Did I do that?" She whispers to herself, but her attention is brought back to the problem at hand when she remembers that there's still a ghost on the loose. "Always remember, Carly: Other people first, your problems last." The instant she finishes the sentence, she frowns.

 _I guess it is true; I_ _do_ _normally put myself last, but it's like those words were put in my mouth._

Still, she shrugs it off; there are lives at stake.

Charlene peers around the room, attempting to spot the ghost, when suddenly the temperature lifts.

"Did- did they burn the bones?" She whispers to herself, suddenly even more afraid than she was mere moments before, when an insane ghost-woman was attacking her.

 _Oh sh*t,_ she thinks. _If Leticia was telling the truth, that means that now there's three psychotic ghost-boys on the loose, and they want to friggin' scalp everybody!_

Carly groans for probably the fiftieth time since she got lost.

She grips the iron poker tight in her hand as she rounds corner. The sound of people talking reaches her ears, and she turns another corner to find herself back in the lobby.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" She exclaims to no one in particular, although Becky manages to hear her sister's voice through all of the others and, after spotting her walking back into the lobby, she nearly barrels over three cosplayers as she attempts to reach her sister.

"CARLY!" She screams at her exhausted sister. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Carly winces at the shrillness of her sister's voice, but she puts up with it as Becky envelopes her in a bone-crushing hug.

"I have no idea." Becky pulls away, a concerned look on her face when she notices the rumpled state Carly's in.

"What happened?" Carly lets out a humorless laugh, her eyes straying to the Winchesters, who're sitting at the bar along with two Dean and Sam cosplayers.

"I was just attacked by a ghost. Y'know, not much." Becky's eyes widen, and she grabs Charlene's wrist, starting to pull her towards Sam and Dean.

"You should tell Sam and Dean! That's their type of thing!" For the first time since she can remember, Carly doesn't allow her sister to drag her along with her, and she stands firmly in her place.

"No, Becky. They have enough on their plate." Her thoughts flicker back to when the ghost said she wasn't human, and when the iron poker flew into her hand. A sad frown forms on her face, but is gone in an instant as she says

"They don't need to be bothered with my problems."

* * *

Unbeknownst to Carly, Sam heard Becky scream at her when she reentered the lobby, and he's been listening to their conversation ever since.

He perks up slightly when he hears that she was attacked by a ghost, and he nudges Dean with his elbow.

"What?"

"Carly was attacked by Leticia." Dean doesn't even look away from his beer as he says

"Yeah, and we toasted her, so it's fine."

Sam clenches his jaw for a moment, before saying in a frustrated voice "No, Dean, it's not fine."

Dean finally look up from his drink as Sam continues. "Look at her, Dean."

He glances over at Carly, who's rumpled state clearly shows what she's been through, although there's something in her eyes . . .

"She's not tellin' the whole story." Sam nods.  
"Something else happened back there," Sam says, standing up.

"And I plan on finding out."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Hey guys, as always thanks for reading!_**

 ** _IMPORTANT:_**

 ** _I probably won't be able to update for a couple weeks, because not only am I performing in a show, I'm also going on a family vacation for a week or two (I know, I'm going to_** ** _be bored out of my mind_** ** _have so much fun). Anyway, thanks for reading this, and I hope I can manage to update soon!_**


	6. Chapter 6

Charlene sits down at the bar, the wooden chair creaking underneath her. Her warm Coke sits in front of her on the bar, but she hardly has the time to pick it up before Sam sits down next to her, the way he leans towards her stating clearly that he wants to talk.

"Hey Carly." She barely glances at him.

"Hi Sam." He pauses momentarily before saying

"I heard you were attacked by Leticia." Carly doesn't respond, although she looks at Sam for a moment. He takes her silence as a cue to continue, and he says

". . . but I'm pretty good at reading people, and I know that something else happened back there," Her eyes snap up to meet his. "- something you don't want to talk about, but probably should." Carly looks away again, choosing to stare down at her coke can as she swirls it around in her hand.

Sam clenches his jaw at her lack of response, and he leans tries a slightly different tactic.

"Carly, if you found out some new information about Leticia, or even the other ghosts, it might be able to save lives. You just need to-"

"You burned the wrong bones." Carly interrupts him, still staring at her soda. Sam's eyebrows furrow.

"What?" Carly turns towards Sam for the first time, meeting his eyes.

"You burned Leticia's bones, right?" Sam nods. "Well that was a mistake. She was keeping the ghosts of the boys she killed in line. Without her, they'll run wild; go on scalping sprees." Sam's eyes widen as she says this, and he moves to stand and tell Dean the new info when he notices that the secretive look in her eye hasn't gone away.

He weighs the options in his head: Either tell Dean and go burn the other bones, or figure out what Carly's not saying. Choosing the first option, Sam stands up from his chair although, before he turns back to Dean, he points a finger at Carly and says in a stern voice

"We'll talk again later."

* * *

Not too long after that, Carly is herded into the auditorium along with all of the remaining guests.

"Well, guys, I guess we're out of time," Carly hears Chuck say as she takes a place along the back wall of the auditorium. "So thank you for your incredibly probing and vigorous questions, and have a good-"

He's cut off by Sam running up to the stage and whispering something into his ear.

"Hey, what?" Chuck asks, before his eyes widen and he says into the microphone "Holy crap!"

A murmur of confusion and uncertainty sweeps through the crowd, and Sam covers the mic with his hand as he continues whispering into his ear. Carly notices Becky sister stand beside her at some point, her eyes glued to Sam. He seems to finish what he was saying, then runs offstage, leaving a slightly scared Chuck and a questioning audience.

"Hey, good news, I've got lots more to tell you." Carly's attention is torn away from Chuck as she hears the hotel manager say to Dean as he's herded into the room

"Buddy, I got work to do."

"You're going to want to see this, trust me," Dean promises. "It's going to be one hell of a show."

As the rest of the staff files into the room, Sam and Dean close the doors, spreading salt lines across them. Carly mentally checks off salt as a useful tool when fighting ghosts, along with iron.

"Uh, what does the future hold for Sam and Dean?" Chuck starts speaking again, tearing her attention away from Sam and Dean. "Well, how do you feel about angels? Yeah, because let me tell you, they're not nearly as lame as you think."

Carly lets out a small chuckle, although she tunes Chuck out as she hears Sam and Dean start talking.

"Okay. Apparently the legends of Leticia Gore are ass-backwards, and we've got three pissed-off spirits running around. The hell do we do?"  
Sam shrugs, glancing through the room. His eyes land on Carly for a moment, and she hesitates to do what she's been pondering, but she quickly gives in and approaches Sam and Dean.

"Look, I'm no hunter, but I've got an idea." Dean raises an eyebrow, but remains silent.

"So they were kept under the control of Leticia, right?" Both Winchesters nod.

"Well, all you have to do is make them believe that she's back. From what I've heard, they have the building on lockdown, but if they're distracted, they'll loosen their hold, and you two can sneak out and burn the bones." Sam smiles slightly, but it disappears as Dean points out a possible flaw.

"Good idea, but in case you haven't noticed, we burned Leticia's bones. Were are we gonna get a new ghost?" Carly gestures towards the woman dressed as Leticia, and Dean raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously? Your idea is to put some woman in danger?" She raises her hands in submission.  
"Listen or don't listen, I'm only trying to help." Carly begins to turn away from them, but a hand on her shoulder causes her to stop in her tracks.

Sam's voice whispers in her ear "When this is over, I still want to talk to you." Carly lets out a heavy breath, and reluctantly nods her head.

"Fine." She tugs her shoulder out of his grasp and walks back over to Becky, who's been watching the whole ordeal with interest. As Carly approaches her, she squeals and jumps up and down.

"Oh my god _the_ Sam Winchester touched you!" She squeals, although the only response she gets is a scowl as Carly leans against the wall beside her. Becky doesn't notice her sister's reaction, since Chuck has started speaking again. Carly tunes Chuck out, ending up drowning in her thoughts.

 _There are so many things that are wrong with this, I don't even know where to start . . . how about we start with the fact that I'm not a hunter, and I know almost nothing about hunting, but I just suggested that Sam and Dean should put some innocent woman in harm's way just as a diversion!_

Carly's scowl grows deeper as she begins to sink further into her thoughts, although she's abruptly awakened from them when she hears the door creak open. She slowly turns her head, just in time to see two Sam and Dean cosplayers slip out of the room.

 _You've gotta be kidding me._ Sighing, she casts a glance at her sister, who's completely engaged in the boring story Chuck is telling, before she follows the cosplayers out of the room.

Staying a safe distance behind them, she hears them speak to each other in hushed voices, although her attention is caught by the sounds of a struggle in a room nearby. The cosplayers pause for a moment, before they begin walking hurriedly towards the doors. As they attempt to push them open, Carly gives them one last glance before heading towards the room where she can hear a fight going on.

As she enters the room, she sees Sam and Dean on the floor, Dean with two ghost boys on top of him, and Sam has one holding a knife to his throat.

A small gasp of fright escapes her lips, but that's all that it takes for the ghosts to notice her presence.

One of them grins up at her maliciously, but it makes no move to approach her. Instead, it moves to take Sam's small moment of distraction to push the knife through his throat.

Carly notices what he's about to do, and she instantly peers around the room for anything useful. An iron poker lies on the ground, and she automatically wishes for it to come to her, since she's too far away to reach it. Just like that, it flies through the air and into her hand. This time she doesn't waste any time to stand there in shock about what happened, instead rushing towards the Winchesters and swinging the poker through the ghosts holding them down.

As Sam and Dean gasp for breath, Carly takes the time to look down at the fire poker. _How come it happened again? Why did it come to my hand again?_

In mere moments, the room temperature drops, and the boys appear again, only to burst into flames and disappear in a blaze of light.

Carly shields her eyes from the sudden brightness, and as she brings her arm down, she sees only Sam and Dean looking at her with curiosity and suspicion in her eyes. She looks down to the floor, saying in a soft voice "This is what I needed to tell you about."

* * *

Carly stands in the steps of the hotel, suffocating in her sister's tight embrace.

"I'll miss you! Just make sure to update me on what you're doing- oh, and of course tell me what Sam's like!" She pats Becky's back awkwardly.

"Sure will," Carly manages to force out as her sister finally lets go of her. She gives Becky a sad-yet-hopeful smile as she says "I'll try to keep in touch, but I don't know what's going to happen in the next couple of days." Becky gives her a smile, before turning her attention to Sam, who's standing behind them, talking to Chuck.

"Sam!" Becky rushes past her, and Carly takes this as a cue to leave. She walks over to where Dean is leaning against the Impala, and she nods towards the car, silently asking for permission. Dean gives her a nod, and she sits beside him on the hood.

"Look, I really don't know what to say-"

"That's because there's nothing to say." Dean turns towards her, and his emerald eyes meet her hazel ones.

"You saved us, but we just need to figure out how you managed to get the poker to levitate to your hand."

Carly looks away, tucking her hands into the pockets of her pants.  
"It never happened before the convention, and then suddenly it happens twice?" She lets out a humorless laugh. "It's just . . . crazy."  
"Well," Dean says as he stands up, causing Carly to do the same. "We specialize in crazy." Carly turns to him, giving him a rare, genuine smile, one that even Becky hasn't seen in many years.

"Thanks Dean," Carly says. She looks back at Becky, who's still on the steps of the hotel talking to Sam, and after taking in _what_ feels like the last look she'll get of her sister, she walks to the side of the impala, pulling open the backseat door and sliding in. As she closes the door, she practically feels herself signing away her (almost) normal lifestyle, and replacing it with this insane one, filled with danger, uncertainty, and evil. She lets out a sigh as she breathes in the scent of whiskey, oil and leather.

 _Goodbye my life, hello hunting._

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm sorry about the long delay, and I'm also really sorry about the crappy quality of this chapter (and the incredibly crappy ending). I was really tired when I wrote this, so I didn't really think about how horrible it would be when it was published. Also, I'd like to inform you that I'll try to do my best to update regularly again, but I'm starting a three-week summer camp, and school starts right after that, so I'll do my best to update but I'm not sure how often I'll actually be able to publish.**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks for reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Charlene sits on Bobby's couch, nervously fidgeting with her necklace that she holds in her hands. Her usual slightly-sassy attitude gone, instead replaced by a shy, tense persona. Her eyes dart around as the conversation between Bobby and Dean creeps through the thin walls.

"The hell do you mean she levitated?"

"I mean the fire poker was on the floor, and then it flew to her hand!"

"Yeah, I get that, Dean. What I don't get is how she did it. You tested her, right?"

There's a sigh. "Yeah, we tested her."

"And?"

"Bupkis." Another sigh, this time from Bobby.

"Well, we gotta figure it out, Dean. No human can just levitate an object."

"Yeah, I figured that much," Dean says, his voice dripping with sarcasm and agitation. Carly shifts in her seat, knowing that it won't end well if he gets much more irritated. After hours in the car with no one else but Sam and Dean, she's gotten to know when it's time to step out of a situation and stand down.

Another sigh, and then Carly's eyes shoot towards the doorway as she hears footsteps round the corner. Bobby comes into view, an exasperated look on his face, although it quickly disappears as he notices Carly looking at him.

A small smile takes its place as he pulls up a chair across from her, and he eyes her for a moments before speaking.

"So, Dean told me what happened." She grips the necklace tad bit tighter, but nods her head anyway. He continues to peer at her before speaking again.

"You managed to lift a fire poker into the air, and into your hand." Then comes the question she's been dreading. ". . . Any idea how?"

Carly takes in a slightly shaky breath, before letting it out and saying: "I really . . . I really don't know how I did it. I just- just wished for it to come to my hand and it did." Bobby nods in understanding, the gears turning in his brain. Before saying anything else, he turns slightly, and picks up a book. Carly eyes the book, before looking at him a little skeptically and asking "Do I have to levitate that?"  
Bobby doesn't respond, although she already knows the answer, and a sigh escapes her lips.

"I told you, I don't know how I did it." She looks down at her hands. "Besides, both times that it happened, it was a life or death situation. I- I had incentive, and I'm willing to bet that had something to do with it."

" _Both_ times?" He raises an eyebrow, and Carly shifts nervously under his gaze.

"Well- I . . ." She sighs, giving in. "Before Sam and Dean saw it happen, it had already happened once. I was wandering the hotel, looking for the bathroom, and Leticia's ghost appeared. She tried to attack me, and I - remembering what Becky told me about ghosts - saw the iron poker and attempted to reach for it, but the ghost was blocking my way." A slight frown makes it's way across her face as she remembers the shock that coursed through her when the poker flew to her hand. "I just thought ' _I wish I could reach it,_ ' and then it glided into my hand." She glances at Bobby as she finishes her short tale, only to find him seemingly deep in thought. However, his concentration in broken by Dean making his presence known in the doorway, clearing his throat and causing both of the other residents of the room to jump slightly.

Dean smirks for a moment, before his eyes land on Carly, and turn slightly accusing. "And you didn't tell us about this, why?" Carly shrinks into the couch sheepishly.

"I- I just . . . so much was happening all at once it kinda . . . slipped my mind." He gives her a pointed look, and her slightly-sassy persona comes back just like that as she snaps at him.

"Oh come on! I was travelling with two guys I barely knew to go see some other guy I barely knew, and- oh, did I mention that the guys I was travelling with also happen to hunt monsters, which pretty much terrifies me?" She glares at Dean as she speaks. "So yeah, I'm _so_ sorry that I forgot, but my entire life basically was just ripped out from under me. It's possible that I might have had other things on my mind." Carly's words drip with sarcasm and annoyance in the last sentence, and her eyes haven't left Dean's this entire time, challenging him with her gaze.

Neither one says anything after she finishes her rant, and neither do they look away from their seemingly eternal staring contest . . . or at least, not until the other Winchester clears his throat from behind Dean, and he turns around to look at his little brother. A victorious smirk graces Carly's lips, and Bobby shoots her an amused grin. As Dean and Sam start to talk in the kitchen, Bobby turns to Charlene.

"You know, it's been too long since someone other than Sam or myself has knocked some sense into that boy in that manner." Carly smiles at him, her timid side having flown out the window. She even chuckles a bit, along with Bobby. However, his laughter dies down quickly, and a serious look takes the place of the amused one previously inhabiting his face.

"Carly- Can I call you Carly?" She nods, so he continues. "Carly, I'm sure the boys have told you, but - to put it simply - recently, the devil was popped outta the box, an' now he's roamin' the earth." Carly nods again, remembering what Sam and Dean told her during the car ride over.

"Now there's this gun, called the Colt. It can kill anything, so we plan on shooting the devil in the head. Tomorrow." Her eyes widen slightly. _They told me they were going to do it . . . but they didn't say it was tomorrow!_ Still, she manages to get her thoughts under control, and in her mind she pieces together what he's most likely about to tell her.

"So, I'm betting you're gonna have other hunters over? To help out?" He nods.

"Two other hunters, mom and daughter. Their names are Ellen - the mom, and Joanna - her daughter. But don't call her Joanna, call her Jo, or I won't be responsible for what happens." Her face pales slightly, mentally making a note not to mess that up, but nods all the same.

"Then, we have an angel, named Castiel." Charlene looks at him, a smirk making its way across her lips.

"Uh- sorry to interrupt, but just to be clear, do you mean that he's really sweet, or that he's an actual angel." Bobby smiles.

"Actual angel." Her hazel eyes widen slightly, and she speaks with a slightly awed, slightly disbelieving tone.

"Like, halo, harp, feathery angel?" Bobby nods.

"Yeah, but take away the halo, harp, wings, and add a trenchcoat and no sense of humor. That's Cas." She gawks.

"Is that what all angels are like?"

"Not all of them- in fact, most of them are righteous d*cks, but still, most of them have no clue what sarcasm is." Carly grimaces.

 _Great, 'cus that's just about the only language I know._ She doesn't realize that she said it out loud until Bobby starts chuckling, and she blushes slightly. "That was only intended for me to hear," she mutters.

* * *

The next few hours of the day are spent with Sam showing Carly around the house, and then with a two-hour phone call with Becky that consisted mostly of 'OH MY GOD YOU'RE STAYING IN THE SAME HOUSE AS SAM WINCHESTER,' some of Becky's ear-piercing shrieks that could be heard across the house, and many affirmations that Carly was indeed _not_ flirting with Sam.

By the time Carly finally flips shut her phone, she feels slightly relieved to hear from her sister, and even more relieved to hear her stop talking. Shoving her phone into her pocket, she walks down the stairs from the room she's staying in, only to see a man in a trenchcoat standing in Bobby's study.

Her eyes widen slightly, although she quickly manages to get herself under control. _That must be Castiel._ As if to answer her thought, Dean peers over the man's shoulder and notices Carly standing in the doorway. A smile makes it's way across his face, and he says

"Hey Carly! This is Cas." The trenchcoat man turns around to face her, and his eyebrows furrow slightly as he look her up and down.

 _Well, it's now or never, I guess._ With that thought, she takes a deep breath and walks forward.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Charlene Rosen."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Holy crap guys, I am so sorry! I had a super severe case of writers block, and other than that I just got super lazy. But even besides that, apparently all of my teachers think it's okay for practically each one of them to give me homework every day. I know that nothing I say is a good enough excuse for not publishing for months on end, and I give you all my sincerest apologies. If it makes any of you feel any better, my mom and best friend have been giving me grief about it the entire time. No? It doesn't make you feel better? Well okay. I tried. Anyway, I'll attempt to continue publishing on a semi-regular basis, but due to the fact that I have school, and the fact that I've started to like**_ **reading _fanfiction more than I like_ writing _it, the times that I publish new chapters will probably start being rather random (oh, and I seem to have come down with a case of SuperWholock)._**

 ** _But still, please don't be afraid to leave a review, even if it is just to rant at me for not publishing for months on end._**

 ** _Anyway, bye!_**


	8. Chapter 8

Charlene holds her hand out for Castiel to shake . . . only for him to stare at it. And stare at it . . . and stare at it. Her hand retracts just a bit, slightly disconcerted.

She smiles awkwardly, and casts a glance to Dean who merely shrugs. He mouths 'give him a minute,' and she sighs internally before just lowering her arm.

"So, uh, anyway, you're Castiel! I've heard quite a bit-"

"You're Charlene Rosen?" She stops mid-sentence, but nods at his badly-timed question none the less.

"Yeah, that's me." She puts her hands in her pockets. The way the angel watches her every move doesn't go unnoticed, but she chooses to ignore it for the time being even though it's slightly unnerving.

" _The_ Charlene Rosen?" Again, she nods.

"Well, I don't think the ' _the_ ' is really necessary. I'm just Charlene Rosen." He continues to stare at her, so Dean clears his throat to break the silence.

"So, Cas, why don't we talk about our plan for tomorrow?" He grasps onto Castiel's trenchcoat and slightly awkwardly drags him into the other room, while the angel's gaze remains fixed on Carly the entire time.

 _Well okay,_ she thinks. _That was rather . . . odd, for one._

Sam clears his throat behind her, causing her to jump. She spins around, her hair fanning out in front of her face, and when her eyes land on Sam she glares at him, crossing her arms and attempting to pretend that never happened, although the smirk on his face clearly states that he won't let her forget.

"Is this a hobby of yours? Scaring people?" He laughs.

"Nope, only seems to work on you." Carly grimaces, but he simply smirks even more. Rolling her eyes, she lets her arms fall down the her sides, and Sam starts speaking again.

"So, your first time meeting an angel. I know that my first time wasn't that great either," he says, recalling for a moment how the first time he met Cas, he called him 'The Boy with the Demon Blood.' However, he pushes that memory out of his mind and forces himself to come back to the present.

"Yeah . . . Bobby said that they're all like that, but- are they really? Are they seriously all that . . ." Carly struggles momentarily to find a word to describe Castiel. ". . . gruff, and, I guess . . . overall awkward?" She asks, looking at Sam.

"Well the gruff part you got right, but the awkward part seems to only apply to Cas." She nods, a smile coming across her lips. Another question sits on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitates to ask it. Sam notices the hesitation, and as he leans against the door frame, he asks her:

"What is it?" She glances up at him, then back down to the floor.

"This . . . this isn't about Cas, or angels, but- I swear I don't mean to sound offensive or anything when I say this, but I was wondering . . . what are other hunters like?" Carly glances up at Sam before continuing.  
"I mean, I know I'm gonna meet some other hunters tonight- that is, if I manage to work up the nerve to put aside my slightly-introverted personality and actually socialize - but other than that, I just want to know if I- how much I can tell them. I just figured that I shouldn't go up to someone who hunts the paranormal and just say 'hey guess what, I'm here because I can levitate stuff!' I've got a feeling that wouldn't end well." She looks back up to Sam, and he pauses slightly before answering.

"Well, yeah, you can't just say that, because even Dean and I have seen quite a bit, and that was rather surprising, so to tell it to someone who doesn't know who you are would clearly be a bad idea." She nods, so he keeps speaking while she takes it in. "But you should know that the hunters that will be here- Ellen and Jo - they're very open, easy-going hunters . . . just don't get on their bad sides." Carly laughs.

"Not planning on it." In fact, almost as soon as she finishes her sentence, there's the sound of a car pulling up outside of the house, and Charlene and Sam both walk to the front door, Carly trailing behind slightly.

"Wait, Sam, real quick- what can I tell them?" He pauses, then looks down at her.

"Just tell them that . . . that you're a hunter-in-training, 'cause you know, you kind of are since you can't stay here without learning a thing or two." Carly nods timidly.

"Okay, hunter-in-training," she mumbles to herself.

Footsteps walk up to the to the other side of the door, and despite her best efforts, Carly finds herself shrinking away from the door. _What are they like? How are they going to react to me?_ These thoughts swirl around in her head, making her more anxious by the second, but Sam casts a reassuring look her way just before he opens the door, and she takes a deep breath as he opens it.

Two women stand there, an older-looking woman, (Carly figures she's Ellen), and a young woman with wavy blonde hair (clearly Joanna- er, Jo).

Their faces light up as they see Sam there, and Dean walks up behind Carly, along with Castiel. As soon as Cas sees Carly, his gaze latches on to her and she shifts uncomfortably. However, this small exchange goes unnoticed by everyone else, since they're all busy with their reunion.

As soon as they're done, Jo is the first one to notice the unknown auburn-haired girl standing slightly awkwardly behind the rest of the group. She casts a glance at Dean, who then pulls Carly further into the line of sight. Ellen and Jo look at her, then to Sam and Dean.

"Ellen, Jo, this is Charlene/Carly Rosen, hunter-in-training. Carly, this is Ellen and Jo." He points to each person respectively, and she nods timidly at them.

"Erm- hi." Ellen and Jo nods to her, Ellen's smile looking a little bit more welcoming than Jo's.  
"Hi," "Nice to meet you," they say at the same time. Charlene looks a little bit more sure of herself from their warm welcomes, so she manages a smile.

"Nice t-to meet you too." They smile at her one last time before looking back to Sam and Dean, and after they leave the room so Dean can show them where they'll stay for the night, Carly lets out a breath she hasn't realized she's been holding. As Sam closes the door, he casts a glance at her before saying

"They're really nice, just give them a little time." She nods, a little unsure, but manages a fake-smile.

"Thanks, Sam." She nods in thanks before heading off upstairs, in an attempt to find her room and return her introverted self to salvation. After all, Carly knows that she has a _very_ long night ahead of her.


	9. Chapter 9

Carly sits in her bedroom, holding her phone in her hand. Her other hand plays with her necklace as she stares at the screen of her phone.

 _Becky Rosen,_ the contact says. Carly ponders whether or not she should call her. After all, she did just meet some more hunters, and even with Sam's reassurance that it'll all be fine, and that they're good people, she can't help but feel nervous, if not a bit intimidated by these people. Who knows how much they've seen, how much they've done.

Her hazel eyes glance at the door. The hunter's voices leak through the thin wood, so she has a good idea of what they're saying, but her distracted thoughts won't let her concentrate on anyone's voice for more than a few seconds. Carly looks back down to her phone, and lets out a sigh as she gives in. She taps the 'call' button, and puts the phone up to her ear.

After a single ring, the familiar voice of her sister filters through the phone.

 _"OHMYGOD CARLY IT'S SO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU!"_ Becky screams in her ear. Carly lets out a small laugh.

"It's good to hear from you too," She says, attempting to keep her voice soft even though her ears are ringing.

 _"What happened? Why'd you call? Did Sam do something?"_ Carly fakes an insulted scoff.

"What, I can't just call you to say hi? Is that against the rules or something?" Becky laughs a little through the phone.

 _"Well, you can, but knowing you something probably happened."_ There's a pause. _"Soooo, what happened?"_

Carly lets out a sigh. "I- uh, I just met two other hunters. Ellen and Jo. They're-"

 _"-good friends of Bobby and Sam and Dean, I know! Some people really like them online! I can't believe you met them! Do they know about the books? Did you tell them that I'm a big fan? Did you-"_ Charlene lets out another sigh as her sister bombards her with nonstop questions, none of which she truly wants to answer. After almost a full minute of questions, Becky stops to take a breath, and Carly jumps in.

"Actually, I called you because I'm kind of nervous. I mean . . . I know that Sam said they're good people, and that there's nothing to be worried about, but . . . they're hunters. I know that they're probably good people - plus they have tons of fans online, so they must be pretty badass too, but I just don't know how- how to approach them." Only silence comes from the other end of the phone, so Carly elaborates.

"What I mean is that they've- they've seen so much more than I have, and they've done so much more, and I just don't know how to approach that. Like, what do I say to them? 'Hi, my name is Carly Rosen, and I'm not actually a hunter, I'm here because I have weird psychic abilities.' I mean, talking about the freaky levitation thing is an entirely different subject!" Becky cuts her off before she can say anything else.

 _"Well first of all, you need to calm down,"_ Carly hardly hides a snort at that. _That's pretty rich coming from Becky._

 _"-and second of all, just don't mention the levitation thingy to them. Like, seriously, don't. Not only because it's a weird thing to talk about, but also because - you know - they're hunters, they hunt that kind of stuff."_ Becky pauses. _"I'm not making this much better am I-"_

"No you're really not." Carly flops down onto her bed, letting out a frustrated groan. "What I am I supposed to do?!" She exclaims, although it's mostly to herself.

 _"Listen, I'd really, REALLY love to talk more, but I have a meeting with Mr. Edlund soon, and I can't miss it, soooo . . . I gotta go. Bye Carly!"_

"Becky wait-" She's cut off by the sound of Becky hanging up, and another groan escapes her lips.

"Why is this so **frustrating?!** " Carly tosses the phone onto the pillows at the end of the bed, and closes her eyes. Placing a hand on her necklace, she begins to toy with it, attempting to release some of her frustration.

 _Why am I even stuck in this stupid situation? Oh, right, it's because I'm some sort of a freak with freaky abilities and freaky-_ Her self-deprecating thoughts are interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Carly quickly sits up and attempts to shove all irritation out of her voice as she says "Come in."

Sam enters, looking around until his eyes land on Carly.

"Hey, uh- Dean, Jo and I are heading out to get the Colt," he says, and then realizing that she might not know what that is, begins to elaborate.

"The Colt is-"

"-a gun that can kill anything. I know, Bobby told me," she finishes for him. Sam gives her a slightly impressed look.

"Nice. So anyway, you'll stay here with Bobby and Ellen, and remember what I said before, give her some time." Carly glances away, thinking of her previous conversation with Becky, before glancing back at Sam.

"I will." Sam smiles at her, and begins to leave, only to have Carly call him back.

"Oh, Sam?" He pokes his head through the doorway.

"Yes?"

"You better not get yourself killed, or I'll be pissed." He smirks, and leaves her room, shutting the door behind him.

"Bye!" He yells through the door.

Charlene smiles to herself, but the thoughts that she had previously pushed away come back full force as she hears the front door slam a few minutes later. She falls back onto her bed.

 _What am I supposed to do now that I'm stuck with no one to talk to?_

* * *

Some time later, after multiple failed tries of calling Becky and skimming through multiple novels on monster hunting, she hears the front door open again.

"We're back!" Dean calls out, his voice sounding out loud and clear in the house. Carly jumps up off of the floor where she had been reading a book on vampires, and goes over to the door. Dim light pours in from the hallway as she opens the door, walking through the hallway and down the stairs to see Bobby and Ellen crowding around the front door too.

"How'd it go?" Bobby asks, looking between the three young hunters. Dean smirks, and holds up an olden-looking gun.

Ellen gawks, and Bobby glances from her to Dean before a smile breaks out on his face. Dean's smirk grows bigger.

"Bingo."

* * *

A short amount of time later, Carly stands in the kitchen, pretending to look through the fridge when in reality she's watching with growing interest the contest between Ellen and Cas to see who can drink more shots. Ellen downs multiple shots, placing the last one on the table before looking towards the angel.

"Alright big boy, go." Carly shuts the fridge, no longer even trying to pretend that she's not watching. Jo glances over to her, a smile placed on her face as they both turn their attention to Cas as he downs five shots in a row, placing all of them back onto the table. Carly's eyes widen and she shares an amazed glance with Jo.

"I think I'm starting to feel something." Carly bursts into a fit of giggles, not caring about the glances she gets from all three other inhabitants of the room. Jo looks between her and the confused angel a few times before busting out into giggles of her own. The two girls attempt to stop giggling, but their laughter is only fueled more when Cas asks innocently "What's so funny?"

Carly places a hand over her mouth, attempting to stifle her laughter but only managing to slap herself in the face, which therefore causes Jo to laugh even more. Up until this point, Sam and Dean had been talking in Bobby's study, but now they turn to look at the two girls.

"What happened to them?" Sam asks as he walks into the kitchen. Carly points to Cas, only managing to confuse the angel even more.

Sam sends him a questioning glance, to which he responds with: "I just drank some alcohol and said that I was starting to feel something. I don't know what happened to them." Sam looks back to the laughing girls, who are finally starting to get themselves back under control.

He sends Carly a glance, clearly asking ' _Seriously?_ ' She nods, a huge smile still planted on her face.

"That was the best thing I've seen in forever," she says, a joyous tone in her voice. Jo nods to her, and they both giggle a tiny bit more.

Jo stands up to walk to the fridge, so Carly moves out of the way, dodging Dean as he walks from the study into the kitchen.

She begins to pass Castiel, only for him to latch onto her wrist as she passes by. She swiftly turns to look at him.

"What is it, Cas- can I call you Cas?" He stares at her for a moment before nodding slowly. She gives him a hesitant smile, attempting to remove his hand from her wrist to no avail. "Would you - would you let me go, please?" She finally manages to wrench her wrist from his grasp.

"I'm sorry, but you just have such a beautiful soul." Carly pauses.

"Erm - thanks?" She says, unsure of how to respond. He continues to stare into her eyes, and she glances away, getting slightly uncomfortable.

"No, I mean it. You're so bright and shiny-"

"Thanks, but you're drunk, buddy." He tilts his head at her, and she sighs. "Your- your head is messed up because of the alcohol." Her gaze turns slightly softer as she looks back at him. "But that was really nice, so thank you." She awkwardly pats his head before walking out of the room, and back up the stairs to her room.

But if she had moved a little slower, listened a little more, she would have heard his murmured words.

"But meant it. Your soul is so bright . . . _too_ bright."


	10. Author's Note

**Hello, and I sincerely,** ** _sincerely_** **apologize for the lack of updates.**

 **I really hate to bring your hopes up like this, by seemingly posting a new chapter, only for it to be a stupid Authors Note, but I want to explain why I haven't been updating** ** _Fangirling 101._**

 **I've been working on other stories, some of them one-shots, some of them with multiple chapters. I've been avoiding this story for the longest time, because I've almost** ** _completely_** **lost hope it in.**

 **I know where I want the story to go, I know why I want these things to happen, but beyond that, I just don't know. It's one of my worst flaws as a writer: I get inspired and start to write something, but I don't really plan beyond what I'm writing in the moment. And once I get to that point, where I'm past what I've already planned, I just lose confidence in it. Now, even though I haven't even gotten to that point yet in** ** _Fangirling 101,_** **one of the problems is that I don't know where I want that point to be. I don't know when I want to explain the reason for Charlene's abilities, and I know that that's not something I can ever leave out of the story. It's too important but I just don't know where to write it in. I'm sorry.**

 **Another reason as to why I haven't been updating is that (much like the aforementioned problem) I have a severe case of writers block for this story. I feel like no matter what I write, it'll just be trash, and it won't ever be good enough to meet anyone's standards.**

 **So, I'm sorry to say, but I don't know when the next time I'll update will be. It could be in a few months. Hell, it could even be** ** _next_** ** _year_** **if I don't get my act together sooner. But what I'm trying to say is that I'm pretty certain that I won't be updating for a long,** ** _long_** **time.**

 **So I honestly apologize for that, and to all of the people who have supported me through Charlene's (short) adventures with the boys.**

 **Sincerely, TheLightBehindHerEyes**


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